Word
Vi betaler regningen, og tjeneren er glad.
Meaning
We pay the bill, and the waiter is happy.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Vi betaler regningen, og tjeneren er glad.
Where is the word for "the" in this sentence?
In Danish, "the" is usually attached to the end of the noun rather than being a separate word in front of it. The word for "a bill" is en regning, so "the bill" becomes regningen. Similarly, "a waiter" is en tjener, so "the waiter" becomes tjeneren.
Does betaler mean "pay" or "are paying"?
It means both! Danish doesn't have a separate "-ing" form (present continuous) like English does. You just use the standard present tense betaler whether you mean "we pay" as a general habit or "we are paying" right now at the restaurant.
Why is it glad and not glade?
Adjectives in Danish change depending on the noun they describe. Because there is only one waiter, we use the basic singular form glad. If the sentence were about multiple waiters being happy, it would be tjenerne er glade, adding an -e to the adjective for the plural form.
Why doesn't the word order change after the comma and og?
The word og (and) simply glues two complete, independent sentences together. Because of this, the second part of the sentence (tjeneren er glad) keeps the standard subject-then-verb word order, instead of swapping them.